Russian Bronze Statue in Estonia

[Stan]

After nearly 3 full days of rioting and looting, our little town is on its way back to normal, the bronze soldier relocated (just behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) and a Russian Duma delegation visiting.

Suprisingly enough, Estonia is still taking hits from Europe over the recent decisions and aftermath:

Leading article: Don't let Russia bully the Baltics

We have had the strange spectacle of the EU nodding with apparent respect as Vladimir Putin's ministers lecture Estonia on civil rights. This is hypocrisy on a grand scale, given Russia's treatment of its unhappy Chechens and its rough handling of recent anti-government protests in Moscow and St Petersburg.

This is the proverbial road to hell paved with good intentions. Indulging Russia's imperial attitudes towards the Baltic states, which it invaded in 1940 and ruled harshly for the next half-century, is not going to get us anywhere. We merely are feeding Moscow's appetite to re-establish influence over those former Soviet republics that it revealingly refers to as the "near abroad".